


Road to Deneva

by starsinger



Series: Deneva [2]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-12
Updated: 2016-04-28
Packaged: 2018-01-04 10:02:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 14,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1079660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsinger/pseuds/starsinger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I’m just now realizing that I’m within a few chapters of completing Deneva, and I’m a little sad, some nearly forty chapters later. Did not anticipate it being THIS long. lol So, I’m experimenting again with this prequel. Let’s face it, Jim loved Kitty, but we’ve never met her. What endeared Gloria enough to Jim for him to take her home to Frank. And how is it Frank is the nice guy instead of the drunk asshole that we all know and hate. Well, here we go. Don’t own them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Road to Deneva

Frank sighed, Winona was drunk, again. He looked down at two pairs of eyes who looked at him imploringly to keep them safe from their drunk Mom. Jimmy already cradled his arm protectively. Frank shook his head. Jim and Sam had saved him. When he married their mom, he’d been just as much a drunk as she. They had begged him to stop after a doctor told him that if he didn’t stop he would be dead in a few years.

“I WANT THESE BRATS OUTTA HERE!” Winona shouted. “JIMMY DROVE HIS DAD’S CAR OFF A CLIFF…”

Frank had had enough. He knew why Jimmy did what he did. “That’s it, Winona. GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! I’ll take care of Jimmy and Sammy, you won’t EVER have to see them again.” He pushed her out the front door and locked the door behind her. He stomped upstairs and called the police before coming back down with blankets. He wrapped Jim up in one and told Sam to come with them. They were headed back to the hospital. He programmed the destination into the hovercar’s navigation system and cradled the nine year old against him. The boy whimpered, “It’s going to be alright, Jimmy, I won’t let her touch you again.”

They sat in the hospital for four hours waiting to see the doctor. Frank was adamant, he wanted the injuries documented. He was tired of playing around, Winona didn’t deserve these kids. The doctor took pictures of the bruises and bumps on both boys and the compound fracture of Jimmy’s left arm. Winona had pushed, more like launched, him down the stairs when she learned what he had done. “He’s going to need surgery, Sir. Compound fractures can’t be fixed by a simple run under the regenerator. His calcium level is low too.”

“You need to keep him here?” Frank asked.

“Yes sir,” the intern told him nervously.

“Can we stay with him?” Frank asked. The doctor nodded as the police tracked him down.They took Frank’s statements and doctor’s own observations. CPS finally arrived and Frank allowed them access to Jim’s and Sam’s medical records. All could be tracked back to when Winona was on world. Nothing happened when it was just Frank looking after them.

Frank lay in a cot beside Jim’s bed, he was going into surgery the next day. He had decisions to make, and he could only think of one way to resolve the situation. Sam would be going back to a boarding school in the morning. George, Winona’s late husband, had a sister on a colony planet, Tarsus IV. He spent the next day making arrangements to get Jimmy to his Aunt’s house so he could settle things here in Iowa. Denise was more than happy to take Jim in. Unfortunately, Frank would discover months later, it would be the worst decision he’d ever make when it came to the boys he’d come to love as his own.


	2. Tough Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, went from depressed, if you saw “Once Upon a Time”, I don’t need to explain especially if you’ve seen the episode from last night, and I ain’t spoilin! To excitement, Karl Urban is going to be at Dallas ComiCon. I don’t think I need to explain THAT one either. I’m going to introduce Gloria and other characters that Jim is going to interact with, but, most of this saga will take place from Frank’s point of view as he fights for Jim, and then finds himself with a broken heart as the Tarsus IV saga as he fears for the boy that he loves. Don’t own them.

Denise and Alex, Jim’s aunt and uncle, awaited their nephew on Tarsus IV. There were several settlers coming from various colonies and Earth. Jim walked off the shuttle, his arm still in an immobilizer, and Denise came forward to meet him, “Hey, Jim, you probably don’t remember me, you were an infant when we came for your Dad’s funeral.”

Jim smiled up at his relatives. He had brought little with him. It wasn’t that Frank didn’t want him to have anything, it was just that Frank wasn’t planning on Jim being there longer than six or seven months. Denise looked up to see Frank barely touching down on the Tarsus soil. “Hey, Denise, thanks for taking him in,” Frank said.

Denise smiled, “Thanks for being so good to him and Sam. I don’t know how many men would do this for a stepson.”

Frank smiled down at the boy, “He’s special, Denise. He’s meant for great things, like his father.” Frank knelt down in front of Jim, “Be a good boy, Jimmy. The lawyers say this shouldn’t take all that long, but I just want you out of your Winona’s reach until this is settled, okay?”

Jim nodded his head and threw his arms around Frank’s neck, “I love you, Frank.”

“I love you too, Jimmy,” Frank returned the hug. Denise watched as this good man turned around in the hatch to look at Jim before returning to find his seat. The hatch closed with a sigh and everyone moved to a safe distance as the shuttle started its return trip back to the stars.

The first place that they stopped was at a local clinic, Denise wanted the doctors to check over the arm before they did anything else. “It’s healing fine,” Dr. Harrison, the Chief Pediatrics doctor told them. “He can’t do any heavy lifting with that arm, so be careful.” Denise nodded, their next stop was the local elementary school. Jim tested into the fourth grade.

“He’s a little above average,” the Principal told them. “That’s fine. He can go at his own pace here.”

They got home and Jim met his cousins, Reba and Sonny. They had the run of the land around the family farm. His cousins eagerly showed him his room. Jim had made up his mind. He was determined to be normal, and average. He was determined not alienate everyone by being “too smart”. Didn’t matter that he’d already graduated from high school and had started college back on Earth. He could transform himself. First thing was first, he changed his name slightly, he wanted to be known as JT.

Everyone understood. They realized that he wanted a fresh start. No one questioned what he wanted to do. A few days into his sojourn he met two people who would change his life. Gloria Sanchez lived next door, relatively speaking. She was a wild girl a few months older than he was, and smart as a whip. They got along famously, and ended up in the same class together at school. He helped her with homework, and she showed him survival techniques in and around the woods near their farms. The other person he met was Hoshi Sato. The ancient linguist was full of wisdom, tea, and a gift for languages that he soaked up like a sponge.

Gloria and Jim knew something was wrong when the crops started failing, then martial law was declared by Governor Kodos. The last transmission he got off to Frank was simple, “Call Starfleet, something’s wrong. We’re starving.”

Jim and Gloria survived, along with fifteen others in that square that day. Only nine would be left who knew Kodos’ face when Starfleet arrived. They escaped into the woods. Jim mourned the loss of his Aunt and her entire family. Gloria cried over the deaths of her parents and four siblings. Jim carried a young boy named Kevin as they all made their silent way out of the square and toward the relative safety of the woods.

* * *

Frank knew something was wrong. He received weekly calls from Jimmy for the first three months. He was slowly moving through the complex court cases that involved his getting custody of Jimmy and Sammy, and Winona fought him tooth and nail every step of the way. The transmissions dwindled to every couple of weeks. Then, after five months, he’d heard nothing.

Frank finally came home with the court papers in his hands. The boys were his. Winona could never hurt them again. A friend of their father’s, Christopher Pike had come back with him to help celebrate and get Frank on the next transport out to collect Jimmy when he saw a message awaiting him marked urgent. He opened it up and Chris watched as all the blood drained from his face. “Frank, what is it?” Frank could find no words as he showed the message to Chris. Chris was on the comm to Starfleet, “We haven’t received word from Tarsus IV? A friend of mine just received this message from his son.” Frank’s chest swelled with pride over that word, and at the same time it constricted with pain.

Frank stumbled into the living room, unable to listen to the rest of the conversation. He looked up as Chris exited the other room, “Well?”

“I’m being recalled to check out what is happening there. One of the outlier ships that makes regular runs to the colony never made it, and it’s gone missing.”

“I’m going with you,” Frank said heading upstairs. Chris took a breath to argue, but knew it was useless. They’d have at least one family member on board who could relay back to other anxious family members what was going on. If the transmission was true, the shit was about to hit the fan.


	3. Heartbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris and Frank arrive, and they are horrified by what they find. Don’t own them.

Chris wouldn’t allow Frank or any of the other family members to beam down to the planet. They needed to get the place secured. Frank spent anxious hours waiting for word. Hoping there would be word. Chris finally called for him to be beamed down, and one of the medics escorted him. The stench of death and despair was omnipresent. Hope had probably been one of the first things to go. They question remained, why hadn’t Kodos called the Federation before things had gotten so desperate?

They arrived at the Governor’s palace, everyone who wasn’t Starfleet looked emaciated. Chris walked up to him, “Frank, I need you to be strong. We’ve found Jimmy, but it’s not good.” Frank pushed Chris out of the way and headed toward the litters he could see being set up. He found Jimmy lying on his stomach, a medic treating wounds that looked like whip marks on his back.

“Jimmy?” Frank asked. “It’s okay, I’m here.”

“Dad?” came the faint voice. Tears started rolling down Frank’s face at the use of the name. “Get my kids, please. They’re in the forest beyond the farm lands. Gloria, tell Gloria that you’re JT’s Dad, Frank. I knew you’d come for me, you promised.”

Frank clenched his fists in helpless rage. Jim was skin and bones, the wounds on his back looked infected, “Take care of him, PLEASE,” he told the medic.

It took hours for them to find the hide-out of the kids. They wouldn’t even come out for the Starfleet uniforms. Finally, Frank raised his voice, “Gloria, JT told me to tell you that his Dad, Frank, was here.”

“Are you Frank,” came the small, frightened voice.

Frank sank to his knees, “I am.” A small body impacted his, sobbing. Many small figures approached cautiously. All of the Starfleet personnel knelt down as the kids approached. One medic held out a ration bar, proffering it to the nearest child. It was snatched out of her hand. The little girl, wearing rags and was very dirty, tore open the wrapper and very carefully nibbled at the bar. It seemed that no one needed to warn them not to eat too fast. Frank got the little girl to sit on his lap and eat what they brought.

“How’s JT?” she asked. “He went out to find food two days ago and hasn’t returned.”

Frank sighed, “He’s not good, Sweetheart, Kodos caught him and treated him very badly. Do you know if Kodos is still alive?” she shook her head. “What about your parents?” again she shook her head. “It’s okay, I’ll make sure you’re taken care of,” he promised. She, again, hugged him. A shuttlecraft flew overhead and landed in a nearby clearing. They gathered the children and got them aboard. Several of the most critically ill were aboard, including Jimmy. Frank walked over to his stretcher with Gloria still attached to him, “Jimmy,” he whispered, “We found them. They’re safe.”

Jim opened his eyes and looked at Gloria, his hand reached out momentarily to touch her, “Good.” He closed his eyes.

The USS Hood stayed in orbit above Tarsus IV for nearly two months. They found remains that they thought were Kodos’, but no one could be sure. Frank hovered nearby as they took care of Jim. Gloria also stuck near them as she started to fill out and her bones became less prominent. The wounds on Jim’s back had become infected. It was a moment that, years later under similar circumstances, Frank feared he would lose the boy. He called Sam and kept him updated as well as Jim’s grandparents. No living relatives were found for Gloria, and he applied for custody of her, having grown attached to the little imp.

Gloria horded food, all the kids did. She horded ration bars, figuring real food would go bad quickly. Since it was rations she horded, he ignored it. He made sure that he was in sight of her whenever they were awake. She suffered from separation anxiety, understandable considering that her entire family had been decimated in front of her. Many of the kids had picked up caregivers, nurses and counselors mostly, who were with them most of the day.

Jim’s recovery was long, and it broke Frank’s heart. He lay on his stomach in the hospital bed while a clear, sterile dressing covered his back. The doctors told him that there would always be scars, there was nothing any of them could do about it. They changed the dressing twice a day and Frank made sure he was there every time.

Then the wounds became infected, and Frank had to wear protective gear. They weren’t afraid he’d catch what Jim had, it was the other way around. Jim’s immune system was compromised, he didn’t need what Frank might have. Jim’s fever raged as they fought to keep him alive. Chris came by many times to offer support, but there was nothing anyone could do, but hope, and pray if they believed in a God. Two of the survivors were Vulcan, and their cousin, Ambassador Sarek, stopped by to see how Jim was doing. He had saved the kids’ lives, and for that, he was grateful.

The Hood left for Earth, and Jim, Frank, and Gloria left with it. Jim would spend the better part of a year in the hospital in San Francisco. He grew to hate it, but he also understood it. It was there that he decided he wanted to become a doctor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, we catch up with everybody else. We’ll start with McCoy. Everybody’s favorite grumpy old man!


	4. Grumpy Old Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I don’t mean that literally, but you know what I mean. We’re introducing McCoy. He’s fifteen years old, and he’s mean, a bit of a bully baby in fact, and Momma McCoy ain’t having it. The survivors are coming from Tarsus IV and well, he’ll get the lesson of his life. Oh, he’s getting a few more middle names than he has. Makes him feel even worse when Hannah comes down on him. Don’t own them.

Leonard McCoy grew up in privileged family. He had two parents who loved him. He had a pesky big sister, Anna, who never had a problem putting him in his place. His father, David, was a lawyer with a local family firm with his uncles and the paternal Grandfather who oversaw the whole operation from a retired position.

The privilege of the position came with friends who were in the same clique. They were all rich, handsome, and reasonably athletically inclined. The group wasn’t afraid of throwing their weight around, though. The younger and smaller set were often victims of their tactics. They were never obvious about it, but they made their presence known.

Unfortunately, an unfortunate eighth grader found himself on the receiving end of a sophomore prank as he found himself hanging upside down from the school’s flagpole instead of the flag. Momma McCoy wasn’t having any of it. The principal of the high school sent pictures of the boy and the picture of the perpetrators. They were a little fuzzy, but Hannah McCoy knew her boy when she saw him.

“LEONARD HORATIO EDWARD DAVID MCCOY!!!” she called.

Leonard winced. He knew he was in trouble. Leonard was used when she wanted his attention. If she got to Horatio he knew he was in trouble. By the time she got to David he knew he was in for it. He descended the steps of the grand staircase of the huge mansion that his family occupied and came upon his livid mother. She was small statured at bare over five feet tall and very petite, but her wrath always made her seem larger than life. “Yes, Momma?” he asked

Hannah thrust the photo at her wayward son, “What is the MEANING of THIS?” she asked. “You and your FRIENDS,” she stressed the word scathingly, “did this to that poor boy?” It wasn’t a question.

“What makes you think that I was responsible for…” he never finished his question under his mother’s perceptive glare.

“Oh, you did this, I can see your familiar backside right here. It’s too bad your to big to put over my knee. First, you will apologize to the boy for doing this. Second, you’ll right an essay on bullying and why it’s not a good thing.” She held up a hand to forestall his argument that what he did was harmless and not bullying. “You’re father and Uncle Howard are representing several of the Tarsus survivors. You’ll be meeting them and seeing, first hand, what bullying can lead to. That Kodos was a monster, I don’t want you following in his footsteps!”

Leonard found himself on the next shuttle to San Francisco with his father and uncle. They talked solemnly about the upcoming litigation. Several survivors were suing the Federation for allowing such an obviously unstable individual as Kodos to head the colony. They were representing four of those who were pressing the litigation. Among them was a large man named Frank. Frank was a large man, and intimidating in his own way. He was very soft spoken as he spoke of his son and a girl that had come back with the boy.

“My son was beaten by the Governor, severely,” unfortunately, Leonard tuned him out at this point, he stopped listening to a word he said. Frank looked at the boy with a frown on his face. “He doesn’t get what’s happened, does he?”

David looked at his son, concernedly, “No, he doesn’t. He was caught bullying at school and we had hoped that this would help teach him a lesson.”

“Give him to me,” Frank said. “I won’t hurt him, but I think I can teach him a lesson that you can’t.” David and Howard looked at each other, and reluctantly nodded at each other. Next thing Leonard knew he was being hauled out of room where they were meeting Frank and put in a car. Leonard didn’t panic. His father wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him, right?

“You think that nothing bad can happen to you, right? That your father will always protect you. I promised my son that he would always be safe as long as I had anything to say about it. I defended him against his abusive mother, and stood up for him when no one but Christoper Pike would. I sent him to Tarsus IV, to his father’s sister, to protect him from his mother until I could get custody of him, and promised him that I would be back for him. I was, I did go back for him…” His voice trailed off as they reached a room. In that room lay a boy a few years younger than he. The boy lay on his stomach apparently sleeping. His back was covered in shiny covering. He could clearly see the marks on his back. A plastic barrier kept him from entering. A gown and other protective gear lay on the other side. “We have to don these protective items. Jim’s immune system was compromised due to his neglected state. Go on, go in there and talk to him.”

Leonard changed into the gear he was given. A mask covered his mouth and nose as well. He approached the bed, “Uh, hi.”

Jim opened his eyes and looked at him, “Hi.”

Leonard sat in the chair very gingerly, he wasn’t prepared to be confronted by the horrors of what happened on a very distant planet, “You survived.”

The boy sighed, “That’s one way of putting it.”

“How…how long will you be here?”

“They sat another eight months, I’ve been here about four months already,” the boy sighed. “They’ll seal my records no one will ever know I was on Tarsus IV.”

“Why not?” Leonard asked. He knew, Jim was a minor.

“Because I saw his face before he killed my Aunt and her family,” Jim replied. “I know what Kodos looks like.”

They talked longer, this boy who was subjected to horrors that he should never have been. Leonard finally understood, Kodos had been a bully. He had used his power to kill nearly half the population just because he had decided they were unworthy. The thought that he could become just like him made Leonard shudder. He walked out and looked at Frank. The boy wasn’t his son, yet he loved and treated him just like one. He knew where he had gone wrong.

Leonard returned home, quite sobered. He hugged his mother. “I’m sorry Momma, I won’t do it again,” he told her.

Hannah sighed, she wouldn’t know for years how or who changed Leonard’s mind. She was simply grateful that it happened.


	5. Changed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I’ve been taking so long on this chapter. Still working on those Valentine’s Day Challenge fics. McCoy returns to Georgia with an entirely different perspective on life. Enter Uhura. Don’t own them.

Hannah McCoy observed her much more somber son as he entered the house. He walked over to a chair in the front living room and dropped into it staring off into space. “Mama, how could anyone do that to their population? The ones I saw today were just kids, and adults had beaten and starved them half to death!”

Hannah sat in a chair across from him, “The famine starved them, Leonard. The adults took what little was left and gave it to those deemed more worthy.”

“And killed most of half of the population deemed unworthy, Mama,” Leonard said quietly. Hannah closed her eyes. “I met this boy, today, only a few years younger than me. He’d been whipped, Mama, whipped because he refused to give away the location of the group of ‘unworthies’ that he was takin’ care of. He’d been sent off Earth so his Stepfather, Frank, could take care of a few issues here at home, and JT could come back to a fresh start. Frank wishes he’d never done it.” McCoy’s face slipped into his hands and he started to cry. Hannah hadn’t seen her son cry since his dog died three years ago of old age. She slipped onto the arm of his chair and wound her arms around him letting him cry.

The next day Leonard returned to school a changed man. The younger kids no longer feared him as he demonstrated that he would no longer tolerate bullying. The same kid who was strung up a flagpole found himself forcibly hauled behind Leonard one day as he loudly proclaimed that this would not happen on his watch. His friends were baffled at his sudden change, and one even tried to challenge his leadership. The resulting confrontation ended with two black eyes and a split lip for the challenger. Leonard took them home and showed them pictures of what he witnessed in San Francisco.

Leonard opened an e-mail from Frank: “Leonard, JT has gotten an infection, and it’s bad. They’ve induced a coma. I’ll keep you updated, Frank.”

Leonard’s friends looked at him as he showed the picture of what had been done to JT. They all shuddered. “Guys, we can’t do this. If we continue like this, we’ll become as bad as Kodos. I propose we set a new purpose. We become the ‘Not on My Watch’ squad. We stop bullyin’ in its tracks. These kids can come to us if they see or sense trouble.” He watched as the others looked at each other dubiously, “Come on! We’re on the football team! Nobody’s gonna mess with us!” Hannah looked on with pride as Leonard got the entire team involved in the squad. By the time he graduated, no one bullied without looking over their shoulders for the football team.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nyota Uhura had been visiting San Francisco from her native Kenya. Her family felt the best way to learn other languages was to visit a place where many languages were spoken. She couldn’t argue with that. She’d grown up in a small village in Kenya where her father was the tribal Chieftain, and, unfortunately, certain barbaric practices, like female circumcision, were still practiced. Her own father tended to send his female children away when they reached that age. He’d seen firsthand the damage inflicted by this practice and refused to have it happen to his children. He even married the only uncircumcised girl in the village, finding her more desirable than the others.

Nyota had two sisters and brothers, and now lived with her older sister in San Francisco, and absorbed the languages around her like a sponge. Nothing fascinated her more than the diverse population living and working in this great metropolis. Word went out that translators were needed for the Tarsus IV survivors, and she volunteered. She did not know what to expect, and was stunned when they led them through the ward containing the most terribly injured. She gasped at the site of a poor boy whose face had been half-ruined by a phaser. No one, and they were mainly children, on this ward was unmarked.

The volunteers were let loose on another ward to talk to the various survivors, and, hopefully, learn where they came from and if they had family elsewhere. Nyota decided to try out her Vulcan on a pair of children huddled in a corner. “ _Hello,_ ” she tried.

The little boy looked up and relaxed, seeing another children, _“You speak Vulcan?”_

_“A little, I need practice. My name is Nyota. What is yours?”_

_“I’m Sedork, this is my sister, T’Mera. Our parents died on Tarsus IV. Can you find our cousins? They live on Vulcan.”_

_“I can try. What are their names?”_

_“Ambassador Sarek and his son, Spock,”_ he responded. _“Please.”_

_“I’ll see what I can do,”_ Nyota promised. She approached an adult and told them what she had gleaned. The adult thanked her and she was asked to stay with them which she gladly did. Hours later a tall, stately Vulcan, and a much younger Vulcan, his son she supposed, strode into the ward.

“T’Mera, Sedork!” the man called. The two looked up and abandoned their solitude and ran for him. He knelt down in front of them, touching their faces, calming them down. He looked up at Nyota, “You were the one they talked to?”

“Yes, Ambassador,” Uhura responded respectfully.

“Thank you,” he replied. She watched as the Ambassador and his son took the hands of their cousins and led them away. Her sister smiled as she excitedly told her about her day.

“Nyota, you might want to think about Starfleet when you are old enough,” Naya told her.

Nyota stopped, she’d never thought about Starfleet. Her sister definitely had a good idea.


	6. More Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim has had a setback and Frank is well and truly frightened. Sam has come back from boarding school to see his brother. Can’t actually find Frank’s last name, so, I’m making one up for him. Don’t own them.

“Dad?” a small voice rose from the bed. Frank’s heart broke at the wracking cough that tore through Jimmy’s small frame.

“Yes, son?” Frank asked quietly. A gloved hand stroked Jim’s fevered, sweat-filled hair.

“It’s okay, Dad. If I don’t make it, it’s okay, you did fine. I love you,” Jim coughed again. Frank’s eyes filled with tears, “Take care of Sam and Gloria, please. I wish I could see Sam again…” his voice trailed off as he coughed again. Frank found himself leaving the room. One of the nurses passed by and glanced up at him. She watched him wipe tears away.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am,” he said politely.

She shook her head, “No apologies, needed, Sir. His case is quite heartbreaking. The doctor wants to see you, he should be here soon.”

“Frank?” another small voice called out. Frank turned to find Sam hurtling down the hall toward him. Sam was thirteen and growing so fast. He grabbed Frank around the waist and hugged him. “How is he? How is Jimmy?”

Frank shook his head, “Not good, Sammy.” He gestured to Jim’s room, “You’ll have to suit up to see him.” Sam nodded as he gazed upon his brother. The doctor rounded the corner as Sam stepped inside the room.

“Mr. Dawes?” Dr. Phillip Boyce, one of the finest of Starfleet’s medical officers, he’d been on Jim’s case since the secondary infection had taken hold. “Come on, I have some news for you.” He led Frank into a patient consultation room. “I have some good news, his fever is coming down. His latest blood work suggests that his body is finally fighting this infection, and he’s winning. Unless something else happens, he’ll be alright.”

Frank sat down in the chair, hard. “How…much longer will he be here?”

“It’ll still be several months, he’s a strong boy, Mr. Dawes. You’re lucky.”

Frank sat for several more minutes in his chair. He absorbed the news the doctor had given him. Now, he just had to convince Jimmy that he wasn’t dying anymore. He rose and returned to the corridor outside Jim’s room and saw Sam inside, stroking Jimmy’s face.

“Hey, Little Brother,” Sam whispered. Jim opened his eyes and looked at Sam. The tiniest smile lit up Jim’s face. “School’s out for the summer, and I thought I’d come stay with you and Frank. I understand there’s now a girl living there too, though,” Sam said, making a face.

“Hey, be nice to Gloria, she’s good people,” Jim said.

“Says you?” Sam asked, a grin on his face. “What do you think? When will you get out of here?”

Before Jim could answer Frank reentered the room, “Well, the doc says it’ll still be a few months, but he’s optimistic that you will walk out of here, Jim.” Sam’s wide smile lit up the small room.

“Really?” Jim whispered. “I guess I’m not going to meet my father, huh. Good thing my Dad’s here,” Jim finished, his eyes drooping shut.

Frank walked out of the hospital with Sam, his arm around the boy’s shoulders, “I need to go talk to Chris, Sam. The driver will take you to where we’re staying. Starfleet set us up in on-campus housing.” Sam nodded. “Good to have you home, and don’t beat up the girls, unless its self-defense, of course,” Frank said with a chuckle. Sam shook his head as the driver took him to the Academy. It would be weird living here for the next several months, it would be virtually deserted as cadets headed home for the summer.

The first thing Sam saw upon entering the apartment was a girl, Gloria he supposed. She was scrawny, but he supposed that came from her recent experiences. She looked up, “You must be Sam. You look like JT.”

“JT, huh? You must be Gloria. I was told not to beat you up,” Sam replied.

“Good advice,” she responded. Gloria sat on the couch in the main living area watching cartoons. “Any word on your brother?” she asked, flipping the TV off.

“Yeah, apparently, he’s going to be alright. A few more months and he’ll be back driving everybody crazy,” Sam replied, looking through a stack of magazines on the kitchen counter. “So, where’s my room?” The smile he gave her could have been from JT himself. She slipped off the couch and showed him to his room. “Nice, at least I won’t have to share it. If you don’t mind, it was a long trip, and I’d like to take a nap.” Sam said before shutting the door in her face. Gloria gave a half-smile. The next three months were definitely going to be interesting.


	7. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As young as Jim is, he has some decisions ahead of him. Gloria meet a young San Franciscan of Japanese descent who likes to fence. Don’t own them.

Frank couldn’t believe his eyes, Jim was sitting up. He was no longer lying on his stomach, looking pale as death with a feeding tube stuck down his nose. The tube was gone, he was sitting up in a bedside chair that had a table locked in front of it so he wouldn’t fall out, and he had pillows protecting his still healing back from the hard back of the chair. The isolation ward was down, and Jim was tapping away at a laptop someone had brought in. Frank wasn’t even aware of the broad smile he was wearing until Jim looked up and returned the smile, “Dad.”

“Hey, Jimmy, when did this happen?” last he’d seen Jim, last night, he’d been on his stomach complaining yet again about the hammock that was used to prop him up so they could feed him.

“The tube came out last night, and they put me in the chair this morning. I actually ate breakfast!” the kid proclaimed proudly.

“He ate all of it, too,” the nurse said as she bustled in. “According to the doctor, he’ll no longer be restricted to his stomach, but still won’t be allowed on his back without lots of pillows.”

Frank smiled, it was the best news he’d heard all day, granted it was only nine in the morning, but it was still good news. “Hey, Gloria and Sam will be by later to say hi,” he told the boy. “What are you doing?”

Jim sighed, “Taking my LSATs.” Frank blinked, those were used by many colleges for placement into medical and law schools. “I just finished them. I…well, Frank, I graduated from high school before I left for Tarsus IV, so there really isn’t much to do after I get out of here,” Jim said, gesturing to the room.

Frank looked at him sadly, “You’ll have to live at the college.”

Jim smiled at him, “I know. I also know they’ll take better care of me than Kodos did. I’ll be staying here on Earth, after all.” Frank breathed a sigh of relief over that, “And the Tarsus IV settlement I’ll receive along with the survivor’s benefits I have should pay for whatever school I pick.” Frank smiled again, Jim was fourteen years old and already figuring out how to be responsible for his own life.

“Well, it’s a good thing you brought Gloria home, otherwise, I’d be very lonely without you boys at home,” Frank said with a chuckle. Jim looked stricken, “I’m joking, Jim.” Jim smiled, “I’m proud of you, Jimmy. You and Sam are extraordinary kids, I’m sure that your father is proud of you. So, where are you thinking of going?”

“Yale,” Jim responded. Frank grinned, “Well, you told me to always think big.”

* * *

Early in their stay at the Academy, Gloria discovered a playground nearby in the city itself. Usually one of the officer’s spouses went with them and their own children to the playground to make sure they were safe, but Frank trusted both Sam and Gloria. They each had their own comm if they got into trouble, and after Tarsus IV, Frank figured if anyone took Gloria on, they were the ones in trouble.

The playground had all sorts of gadgets for children of all ages to run and play on, and many electronic gadgets to interact with as well. Their favorite one, however, involved the mechanics of feet, hands, and gravity, yes, they still loved the swingset. Sam and Gloria could sit on it for hours just going through the motions of feeling like they were flying. One summer’s day they saw a boy, about Jim’s age, standing in the grass, going through strange motions. They gave up the swings in favor of their curiosity. “Hey,” Gloria called out.

The boy nodded at them, “Hello.” His stance and movements were slow and deliberate.

“I’m Gloria, this is my brother, Sam,” she introduced herself.

“Hikaru,” he responded.

“Is that Tai Chi?” Sam asked.

Hikaru looked at them, “Yes, it is. Would you like to join me?”

Gloria looked dubiously at him, “Is it a martial art?”

“Kind of, it’s more of a way to find your center and balance, nothing violent involved in it at all,” Hikaru said, continuing with his motions. Soon, they watched him and joined him. Gloria found that there was something soothing about what they were doing. They finished and watched as Hikaru continued with more exercises involving jumps and kicks and other more energetic stuff. He finally finished and joined them on the grass. “So, where are you staying?”

“At the Academy,” Sam responded, “My brother is receiving treatment because he was on Tarsus IV.” Gloria looked at him, Sam didn’t even realize what he said.

“Will he be alright?” Hikaru asked. Sam nodded, “Good, I’m glad. I’m lucky, I didn’t have family on Tarsus IV.”

“Are you Japanese?” Gloria asked in Japanese.

“No,” he responded, “I was born in San Francisco. Where did you learn Japanese?”

“Hoshi-san,” Gloria responded.

“You knew Hoshi Sato?” Gloria nodded. “My name is Hikaru Sulu,” he said in English, holding out his hand to both of them. “I didn’t know Hoshi, but she was much respected in our community. We grieved when it was reported that she was lost on the colony.”

“Gloria Smithson-Kirk, recently adopted,” Gloria replied.

“Sam Kirk,” Sam responded.

They went their separate ways soon afterwards, “Should you have said that about Jimmy?” Gloria asked.

“What are the chances he and Jimmy will ever meet?” Sam asked as they walked toward the Academy. Captain Pike awaited to take them to visit the hospital to see Jim as Gloria shrugged. Jim was back in bed when they came back in, but he lay on his left side with the pillows propping him up. They immediately noticed the changes as well, “Jimmy!” Sam exclaimed. They both hugged him.

Frank talked to Chris as the kids exchanged news. “He’ll pass and get accepted, you know,” Chris said. “He is a Kirk after all.”

“I know, and I’ll miss him as much as I miss his brother. Maybe I can convince Gloria to fail a couple of times, keep her here in Iowa a long time.”

Chris chuckled, “Probably not, Frank, just keep doing what you’re doing.” Frank nodded at the wisdom of his words.

 


	8. Quadrotriticale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boy that’s a big word! Jim is determined that what happened on Tarsus IV, the famine because of the fungus, never happens again. Don’t own them.

As tired as Jim was of lying on his stomach, he was getting just as tired of lying on his side. The pillows made things more comfortable, but he was happiest when sitting up, even though he couldn’t do that for long. He was waiting for Physical Therapy to come help him back into the chair as he worked on his laptop. He was determined to do this, for everyone who died on Tarsus IV and those families off-planet who had suffered because of it.

“Getting restless?” a voice asked. Jim looked up to see his doctor. “I’ve got more good news. Your back is healed enough to allow you limited time on your back. Keep in mind that we have to keep you turned every couple of hours to keep bed sores from occurring. Physical Therapy will keep you moving so you can get back on your feet.”

Jim smiled, “Glad to hear.” He looked up to see Adam, his PT, walking through the door with a walker and belt. Frank walked in to see Jim sitting up shakily on the side of the bed and standing up on wobbly legs. The belt was held by Adam to keep him from hurting himself if he happened to fall. Jim took unsteady steps across the room using the walker as help. By the time they got back to the bed, Jim was exhausted. “I used to do that without thinking about it,” Jim said as he sat in the chair. Adam locked the table in place and handed him his laptop. “See you tomorrow,” he said with a smile.

Frank smiled, “You’re improving.” He walked over with mail for Jim, “You’ve got mail.”

The first envelope was from the Vulcan Science Academy. He looked at it long and hard, “Ambassador Sarek and his son, Spock, will be here in two days. They’re very interested in some wheat I started developing on Tarsus IV before the famine hit.” Frank looked at him, “I was trying to make it resistant to drought and other natural diseases so people wouldn’t starve. I didn’t finish before I was forced to flee. Tom had the hard drive I took with me and forwarded it to the VSA for further research.”

“Well, that’s interesting, what else?” Frank asked.

Jim opened another envelope, in fact, he opened the next four envelopes, “I’ve been accepted to Yale, Harvard, Oxford, and UCLA.”

“Oxford?” Frank asked with a laugh.

“Keeping my options open,” Jim said with a grin. “Not going that far just yet…” Jim’s voice trailed off. “Those families and kids, they didn’t deserve what happened to them. I want to prevent it from happening again.”

Two days later Frank watched as two Vulcans entered Jim’s room. The younger of the two was very self-possessed, that surprised Frank after learning that he was half-human. Sarek looked at the boy, “You are James Kirk?”

“Yes,” Jim responded, “are you surprised by my age?”

“Yes, and no,” Sarek responded. “It does explain your drive to develop this wheat.” He inserted a flash drive into Jim’s computer and it pulled up the grain in question. The next few hours talking of the wheat and what it would mean. “We, of course, need to find a place to plant it. Vulcan is not a good testing ground. There’s a new colony, Deneva, made up of scientists and farmers. They are willing to give it a test run when it’s available in the next few years.”

“Meanwhile,” Spock spoke up, “The VSA will develop it. We have also taken the liberty to file the patent under your name. Any monetary results will come back to you, but it will be years in coming.”

“I don’t want any residuals to go to the fund for the children who survived Tarsus IV. I don’t need any money.”

“Are you sure. The rewards are potentially numerous,” Spock responded.

“Those kids have suffered beyond anything that anyone who wasn’t there could imagine. I want them to have all the advantages I can give them. There are only thirteen from my group.”

Sarek and Spock nodded, “The VSA would also like to extend an invitation to come study there if you so wish.”

Jim’s breath caught in his chest, “That’s an enormous honor, Ambassador, Mr. Spock. I will consider it.”

Frank looked at Jim as the two left, “Go to school off-planet?”

“They rarely offer anyone who’s not Vulcan a place there,” Jim shrugged. “I’ll think about it,” he picked up the envelope from Yale, “First, I have to finish Medical School.”

Frank smiled, “I’m sure you’ll do it in record time.”


	9. Birthdays Coming Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris gets a surprise invitation. Don’t own them.

Chris sat in his chair at Starfleet Academy. It had been a long day. Tomorrow would be the anniversary of the destruction of the Kelvin. Another memorial here at the Academy would be held around noon. Chris sighed as he opened his e-mail.

_Chris,_

_Tomorrow is Jim’s birthday, and he wants you here instead of that memorial. He’s also being released well after the memorial is due to be over. Please come._

_Frank_

Chris smiled. He had an excuse not to be at the ceremony tomorrow. He sent off a reply telling Frank that he’d be there. Chris whistled as he left his office to pick Gloria and Sam up for the drive to the hospital. The kids were excited to see him as he waved at them from across the quad. They were volunteering at the day care facility this week, and the tykes that were there were running them ragged. Command and Engineering students were already in for field trips and seminars, so the daycare was already open.

“Uncle Chris?” Sam asked. “Tomorrow is Jimmy’s birthday. Can we stop and get him something for it tomorrow?” Gloria nodded vigorously.

Chris smiled, “Yeah, I think we can manage something.” Chris managed normal conversation with the two as they approached the hospital. He dropped them off as usual and called, “See you tomorrow.” The two waved absently behind them as they entered the hospital.

The next day Gloria and Sam didn’t have volunteer work from the hospital, and Chris chose to take the day off and distract them by being as far away from the Academy as possible. Mostly for Sam’s sake whose father was yet again being remembered as a hero. They poked through many shops at a local strip mall, trying to find Jim’s gift. Frank had given them a credit chip to purchase it. Finally, in an old antique shop, Gloria found it. It was a hard bound book of Moby Dick.

Gloria excitedly flew over to Sam, and Chris watched as the two put their heads together and discussed her find. Finally, they appeared to come to a conclusion as they walked over to shop’s owner. Chris shook his head as they haggled over the price of the book and came to what both sides felt was a fair price. The owner carefully wrapped the book up and put it in a brown paper bag before handing it back to the kids. Gloria clutched the package in her hands as they exited the shop.

They were surprised that Chris parked the car and followed them into the hospital. “I’d rather be here for Jim’s birthday than at the Memorial,” Chris told them. Sam flashed a smile of understanding as they headed up to the floor to see Jim. Jim was sitting in a wheelchair. The few things that Frank had brought while Jim had come back to Earth were packed and sitting on the bed.

“Jimmy, you’re coming home today!” Sam exclaimed, walking over and hugging his brother.

Jim smiled, a genuine smile that spread across his entire face as he embraced Sam, “Yeah, Frank told me this morning.” Gloria handed him his birthday present. Jim looked at it inquisitively, he hadn’t had a birthday since before he left for Tarsus IV. His aunt and uncle had been wonderful, unfortunately, his birthday there had happened just after the massacre. “Moby Dick, thank you!” Jim breathed. Gloria grinned and Chris looked away.

The nurses soon bustled into the room with a cake and the doctor soon followed, “Well, Jim, you’re finally leaving us.” The doctor’s eyes filled with tears, “I love happy endings, and yours is definitely a happy ending. Happy Birthday, kid, we’re gonna miss you!”

Everyone watched as Jim hugged the hospital staff, and walked into the bathroom. When he emerged he was fully dressed and ready to go. Everyone clapped as he left the hospital. On this day, JT died, and Jim Kirk emerged into the light again.

* * *

“So, you’re going back to Iowa,” Hikaru said as they sat on the grass in the park for the last time. Jim still tired easily, and it was just Gloria and Sam with Hikaru.

“Yeah,” Sam replied, “then I’ll be returning to school in three weeks.”

“I’m glad you have a happy ending, Sam, so many didn’t,” Sulu said. Sam nodded. They exchanged e-mails and went their separate ways.

* * *

“Ma! Ma!” came the shout through the front door.

Eleanor McCoy winced at the sound of her son, “In the kitchen, Leo!”

“He’s out! JT got out of the hospital today!” McCoy excitedly called skidding through the kitchen. He waved his PADD at his mom. “I even sent him a happy birthday message!”

Eleanor plucked the PADD out of her son’s hand and read the message.

_Leonard,_

_I thought you should know, JT is getting out of the hospital today for his birthday._

_Frank_

Eleanor smiled at the memory of the boy who changed her son’s life for the better, “I’m glad, Leo. Now go wash up for dinner. She watched as her son headed upstairs and for his room.

_Frank,_

_This is good news. Thank you for everything you and your son of the heart have done for me and my son._

_Eleanor (Leonard’s Mother)_

 


	10. Yale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank is sad again, he’s letting Jim go again, this time to Yale. A place where he could easily go to and get him if necessary. Oh, I looked it up, just in case, yes, Yale does have a medicine program. I could have just made it that they added the program in the time since it was founded, but, I don’t have to! lol Don’t own them.

Yale’s idyllic setting had not changed much in the nearly six hundred years since it had been established. Sure a town had grown up around it and the native peoples had pretty much moved out, but it was still beautiful. The small town of New Haven Connecticut still seemed like it belonged in a time several centuries before, well, maybe not the seventeenth century, but the twenty-third century seemed not to exist here.

Frank drove here with Chris, Gloria and Jim in tow. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with the now fourteen year old before he embarked on his latest journey. Chris had volunteered. They packed up the family car and set out for the University. Jim would be living on campus in a dorm run by a middle-aged couple, Ben and Angela Demorka, specifically for the underage students that sporadically attended classes at the famous university.

Their first stop was Yale itself, where they needed to check in and get the tour of the campus. Frank sighed, he hadn’t seen lines like this since they were staying at the Academy waiting for Jim to heal and all the first years crowded the lawn to get registered. “Dad, I see a sign that says ‘K’,” Jim said, pulling on Frank’s shirt. A shiver went up Frank’s spine, Jim calling him “Dad” would never get old. They followed Jim to that line and waited. Frank wondered if this process had changed in the time Yale had been around, he was beginning to doubt it. The woman at the table, when they finally approached, looked at them confused, two middle-aged men, and two kids were not typically students at the University.

“Name?” she finally asked.

“Kirk, James Tiberius,” Jim spoke up, his voice breaking on Tiberius. Frank hid a smile, Jim’s voice was still trying to change.

She thumbed through her PADD before pulling him up, and peered at him to make sure he matched the photo on her device. “Alright, Mr. Kirk, please stand right there while I take your picture,” she cocked her head with a smile at Frank, “This is for his student ID.”

Jim smiled timidly as his picture was taken, and minutes later an ID was in his hand. He clutched it tightly, as if not quite believing it was real. She then handed him a PADD of his own, and took him through it, pointing out his school schedule, location of his dorm, and since he was a minor, his curfew. They were soon directed toward his dorms, and were told to be back at 2 pm for the tour of the campus.

Chris laughed, “This isn’t Starfleet, I can’t expect them to say 1400 hours.” Frank laughed as well as they piled back into the car and headed for the dorm.

They first met Mrs. Demorka, she was an earthy woman who Frank took an instant liking to. She smiled as she showed them down the hall to the individual rooms, “He has a roommate, of course, Alexander Chekov is his name. They’re about the same age. Don’t worry, Jim won’t age out of here until he’s eighteen. We have rooms here for when you come to visit as well, so don’t worry about where you’re going to crash for the next couple of days, although it’s one room per family. All our rooms are filled with students families today.”

Chris smiled, “That’s okay, I have friends living nearby, I’ll stay with them.” Frank smiled gratefully.

The room was big enough to hold two beds, two desks, and a minifridge. It had two closets, so Jim and Alexander wouldn’t have to share. A trunk sat at the foot of each bed for their small clothes. “I’ll leave you to get settled. We have a welcome dinner at 7 pm for everyone, and you’ll meet Ben there as well. Don’t forget the tour later, and if you’re hungry, I have sandwiches down in the kitchen.”

They spent the next two hours getting Jim moved in and set up, and they met Alexander and his parents, and his little brother, Pavel, who seemed to want to follow in his brother’s footsteps. “He’s a whiz,” Alex said. His major was Law. They all traveled back to the campus to meet their respective groups. Many students were startled, and a little intimidated, by a fourteen year old in their midst. Jim, on the other hand, was very charming. He soon became the little brother to all the older students on campus. His shy grin, and obvious intelligence winning almost everyone over.

Everyone in his group were Medical Students, so they took tours of the Science and Medical buildings. Jim was minoring in Engineering, and one of the guides promised to show him those buildings later. When the day was over, Frank was glad that there was a GPS unit on the PADD so Jim could find his classes, he knew his head was awhirl with all this new stuff in it.

That night, they had dinner at the dorm, and Mrs. Demorka proved to be an excellent cook. She and Ben had never had children, but being the den parents for these young souls proved to be an excellent distraction from that reality. Jim slept like a log that night. The next day they drove around the town, not really sight-seeing, but getting a feel for it. Unfortunately, the next day was Monday, and they had to say good-bye.

“Okay, Jimmy, you know how to reach me or Chris if you need us, right?” Frank asked, very glad that he’d gotten Jim’s vaccinations up-to-date recently.

“Yes, Frank,” Jim replied humorously. He threw his arms around Frank, “Thank you Dad. I love you.”

“I love you too, Jimmy,” Frank said. “See you at Thanksgiving.” He watched as Jim walked back to his dorm and turned and waved before entering the building. Frank sighed.

“You still have one more at home, Frank,” Chris said, pointing at Gloria. “And I think you promised her ice cream.” Frank laughed as they all piled back into the car and left.

 


	11. Finding His Way Around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim’s not directionally challenged, really. It’s just that Yale is really big and self-contained, and he didn’t need direction in Iowa, or Tarsus IV. Don’t own them.

Jim sighed, Alex right beside him, echoed his sentiment, they had given PADDs with a GPS on it, and said have fun on their first day. “Well,” Alex finally said, “here we go.” They headed deeper into the campus with all the buildings they had toured just days before.

The buildings were old, and many trees were even older as they reached the point in the walkway where their computers told them to go in different directions. “See you at lunch?” Jim asked. Alex nodded in agreement, apprehension reflected on his face as they went their separate ways. Jim finally found the Medical Building he’d been looking for and entered through the front door. He looked up, at fourteen he was still waiting for the growth spurt that he was told was coming. Unfortunately, everyone was still quite a bit taller than he, and his voice was still changing.

Jim found his first classroom and entered. The Professor glanced up as he took a seat in the front row, he didn’t want to fight with the other students trying to see the Professor and what he intended to teach them. Of course _Introduction to Human Anatomy_ wasn’t an exciting subject, but it was a start. The other students straggled into the room and took their seats. Several gave him odd looks, but he pulled out his laptop with the rest of them.

“Hello, I’m Professor Morrison, and all of you are here because you are in pre-Med, or a Biological Sciences major. If you check your PADDs, you’ll find your Syllabus for the semester and the required Book and other reading materials for this course. Your next class is your lab and your lab instructor will inform you of what you need there. I’ll take attendance now,” she proceeded through the list. Several students smiled when Jim’s voice piped up and then took a two octave turn at the end of “Present”. Morrison gave a half-smile as well as she glanced up at her youngest student.

Jim exited the room at the end of class with the rest of the class and followed them to the next class, they were all headed for the same class. The instructor, Mr. Dawson, cheerfully announced that he hoped that no one had problems with dissecting animals. Everyone smiled, including Jim. He was perched atop a tall stool with his feet dangling higher off the ground than the girls next to him who barely topped five feet.

Jim’s next class was across campus in the Language Arts building, and Jim took three wrong turns trying to follow the directions on his PADD. Ironically, it took a seeing-eye dog and a lab rat for him to find the building. He arrived only to find that the class didn’t start for another hour and was encouraged to go eat. “Aren’t you hungry?” the teacher asked.

Truth was, Jim wasn’t. He was aware that it had been five hours since he ate breakfast and that he should go eat. He entered the cafeteria and shuffled around in his bag to find his meal plan ticket and presented it to the appropriate staff. He stared around the seating area after getting his food and found Alex sitting with the other young students wolfing down their food. Jim joined them and proceeded to eat. He didn’t notice that they stared at him as he slowly ate what was in front of him. “Do you always eat that slowly?” Jennifer, she was twelve and a physics major, asked.

“Yes,” Jim replied. “I was in a position where I had very little to eat and learned that the longer you take to eat something, the faster you feel full, and you won’t get sick by eating too much.” The others nodded their heads. Jim got up with the rest of them to head off for their next classes.

Jim, Alex, and Jenny headed for their English class and sat together at the front of the class. Professor Jones wasn’t all that surprised to have her youngest students grouped together, and smiled at them. It was a standard English Composition class, and they were told that they had to write five essays during the course of the semester. All three exited the classroom and Alex and Jenny headed back to the dorm, their classes were done for the day. Jim was headed for his _Calculus_ class.

By the time he returned to his dorm, he was tired. Mrs. Demorka had a snack waiting for him, “You’re a growing boy and need your nourishment.” Jim smiled, he can only hope that finding his classes tomorrow would be a LOT easier.


	12. Weekend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the kids now have to contend with homework, and it’s the weekend. Of course none of them can participate in many of the activities that occur on the weekends at Yale. Bummer. Don’t own them.

It had been over 200 years since the invention of the Tablet, and yet, pen and paper were still more effective at certain tasks than electronics. Tasks such as Calculus problems, and brainstorming for English papers. All of the occupants of Mrs. Demorka’s dorms ranged from ages 12-17, and none of them were old enough for many of the weekend parties that were a normal part of any campus life. Jim sat in one of the chairs in the common room facing each other. Jim was working through his Calculus problems while Alex was studying something for one of his law classes.

“Gamma Gamma Delta is having a party tonight,” Alex said quietly. “It’s their Rush party.”

“Which none of us have been invited to,” Jim responded. He finished his Calculus work and changed the PADD from Math to Engineering. “Davy has a birthday next week.” Alex snorted, they both knew that would be the extent of their partying here. It was likely they’d all have graduated and started working in their fields well before they were eligible for the Fraternities.

“Jacob will be eligible next year,” Alex noted.

“He graduates in December,” Jim replied with a laugh. Alex shook his head in silent agreement. Friday night was a tough one for the young students at Yale. Dances, parties, and other events usually held for them at their age respective institutions weren’t available to them, and most of what went on on campus wasn’t either. Then again, sometimes they were surprised.

“Hey guys, how about dinner and a movie?” Mrs. Demorka asked, popping her head through the door. Jim and Alex looked at each other. “Don’t worry about cost. It’s covered by your tuition, since normal avenues aren’t open to you.” Jim and Alex quickly put their stuff aside and went upstairs to change clothes. The movie was something that everyone could enjoy, romance, adventure, and a few painful encounters by teenagers and their parents all in outer space. Afterwards they stopped by and ate pizza where everyone had the opportunity to invade an old style video game arcade and play to their hearts content. Ben had a good chuckle when the kids found an old style Pac-Man and Donkey Kong games. They captivated more than any of the shoot ‘em up games.

“I don’t know,” Jenny was heard to tell Davy later, “those old Zombie games don’t even compare to the simpler games. That Space Invaders game was intense.”

“Wow, and Asteroids! I can’t believe how many times I was killed,” Davy responded. They all walked away laughing.

Ben looked at his wife, “This was a good idea, Angie.”

“It’s what they pay us for,” she laughed as he leaned in for a quick kiss. This caused the younger students to make faces. They both chuckled. It was hard to believe that this group was still kids they were so mature.

Some things never changed on Saturday mornings with kids, and all of them were in front of the various vids in the house watching their favorite cartoons. A few, like Jim and Alex, pulled out their PADDs and viewed whatever they felt like watching. This lasted long enough for Mrs. Demorka to call out breakfast. There they found pancakes, waffles, eggs, sausage, bacon, and hash browns. Along with Maple Syrup there was blueberry syrup which was used to slather both pancakes and waffles.

Angela and Ben handed out transit passes to the local transportation authority, and the kids basically had the rest of the weekend to themselves. Jim prowled around town with Alex in tow. The two of them had become fast friends, and they had fun exploring like any boys someplace new.

Sunday, Jim received an unexpected call from Sam. Same was more than a few years older than Jim and had gone down a similar path as Jim and had recently graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Botany. “Hey, Jimmy, I know this is sudden, but I’m leaving Earth.”

Jim looked at him confused, “You’re leaving? Where? When?!”

“I’m leaving at the end of the month. I’m headed for a new colony, Deneva,” Sam responded.

“I don’t understand. You told me that you’d never leave me,” Jim said. He was young, and feeling very vulnerable.

“Jim, I’m not abandoning you. I’ll be back for your graduation, I promise. I received a job offer, and I feel I need to take it. Frank approves.”

“Frank will support us no matter what,” Jim replied sullenly. Sam watched as Jim struggled with his emotions, “I love you, Sam. Please keep in touch.”

Sam watched sadly, something had changed, “I will, Jim. Maybe you can come see me on one of your summer breaks.”

“Sure Sam,” Jim replied. Years later, after Sam was gone, and Jim had never gone to see him on Deneva, Jim would look back on this conversation, and wonder how he could have been so childish as to resent his brother’s seemingly good fortune.


	13. The Opposite Sex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, it was going to happen sooner or later, Jim is quite handsome, if clumsy. Don’t own them.

Girls were a mystery to Jim, Alex, and the other boys at the dorm, and Jenny reassured them that boys were as much a mystery to her as she was to them. Jenny and her friends at the dorm were what would be termed nerds, and very young ones at that. They didn’t dress like many of the college girls there, and were more intent on studying than trying to flirt. No one would look at them twice.

The boys were just as bad. Jim was allergic* to the procedure that would correct his vision as he was slightly near-sighted. The glasses he received allowed him to read the text without making it large enough for a blind person to read. Unfortunately, the glasses, combined with his short stature, at 15 he was 4’9” tall, he looked rather nerdy, and did not attract any girl’s attention.

Then, while at home in Iowa for the summer, he had several growth spurts that put him up at 5’11”. Still not what would be his full height of a solid six feet. He filled out having recovered enough from his previous ordeals to allow Frank to feel he could work on the farm. Frank had also purchased several horses that allowed Gloria to learn how to ride, and Jim joined her on long excursions into the countryside. He even took her to the quarry where he had driven the car off of that sent him to Tarsus IV.

When he returned to school, he covered his side of the room in pictures of horses. One of them was of him and Gloria on horseback. Alex, who had also experienced a growth spurt, just not one as dramatic as Jim’s, admired the picture, especially Gloria. Jim smiled at his friend. He considered Gloria the sister he never had, and was quite unaware of the fact that he was now quite good looking.

Jim, like Alex and Jenny, was now more confident about the new academic year. Jim was now including Computer Science classes into his curriculum. Every time Chris or Admiral Archer heard a cadet complain about his academic load, they’d tell them about a certain fifteen year old at Yale, and they never mentioned a name. It also turned out to be the year that the older girls noticed Jim and his farmboy physique. He never noticed, not until Alex muttered something about needing to spend time on Jim’s farm. Jim looked at him confused, “Dude! The ladies are drooling over you. Ask somebody out!”

Jim finally did. It was a girl he sat next to in one of his labs, and she was a shy blonde named Elisia. He worked up the courage after class. She shrieked, said yes, and ran off to tell her friends. He stood there, speechless. Mrs. Demorka, being the earthy and practical woman that she was, took him out and bought him some new clothes. Mr. Demorka gave him a box of condoms, and gave instructions in how to use them. They both made sure he had enough money to pay for the date as his date was old enough to drive.

That was the night Jim lost his virginity. Elisia had an off-campus apartment, and after dinner, she took him home with her. He mumbled that it was his first time, and she was gentle, and understanding. They both made sure the condom was in full use. Afterwards, as they lay together, he wondered if this was it. Sex felt wonderful, but it didn’t feel right. Elisia was wonderful, but his feelings for her were such that he knew that they wouldn’t be more than friends with benefits. Frank told him that when he met the right girl, it would be wonderful.

That winter break, Alexander took him back to Russia to spend it with his family and the little brother who adored them. There, he met Kitty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Established in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It was why Bones gave Jim a pair of glasses for his birthday.


	14. Love at First Sight?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry it’s taken this long, it’s just that it took me awhile to figure Kitty out. This is a love that will define Jim’s early life, and it starts out like many a normal relationship, think Han and Leia. Don’t own them.

The love story of James Tiberius Kirk and Ekaterina Anastasia Ivanova would be one of the ones that would be sung about. Unfortunately, truth and reality were completely different. It was said that Jim and Kitty met on the streets of Moscow, and when they’re eyes met, they knew they were meant to be. Kitty was the beautiful blonde perfect in every way who fell in love with her Prince Charming.

They actually met on the shores of Lake Baikal when Kitty gave Jim a black eye. He and Alex had arrived at the Chekov family cabin located on the famous lake. They would spend Christmas and the rest of the winter holiday there. Jim, Alex, and Kitty were 16, and were going through that awkward stage of puberty. Their arms and legs were suddenly too long for their bodies, and they all kept bumping into things and getting all sorts of things that caused bruises and cuts that were really normal for them.

Kitty also suffered from the sudden growth spurts, but she also had other issues. She suffered from one of the worst cases of acne that anyone had seen. Her face had red splotches all over it. Her blonde hair was dirty as she had slipped in a mud puddle that very day and landed face down. All Jim had said was, “Wow, she’s clumsy isn’t she? Whoa! Is she an apple or a girl?”

Well, this didn’t actually go over very well. She got up and glared at both boys before launching a fist straight into Jim’s face and stormed off. Alex chuckled and looked at Jim, “I tried to warn you about the famous Russian temper, my friend!”

Jim went into the cabin where Alex’s parents were laughing at him and his little brother, Pavel, looked positively scandalized. You didn’t treat girls like that. Mrs. Chekov elbowed her husband in the ribs, “Honey, I think we’ve got a love match going here!”

Mr. Chekov got a slab of meat and put it on Jim’s face, “You’ll have a nice shiner, Jim. Be sure to tell your father how you actually got that, we don’t actually want him to think we gave it to you.”

Jim nodded, given his mother’s behavior when he was young, it was best that Frank heard it from him. Frank howled with laughter when Jim told him what happened, “Jimmy, you definitely have a way with the ladies!”

The next day Kitty didn’t look any better, but the future doctor in Jim made him approach her. Her eyes went to the ground as he looked at her face. “I’m not a dermatologist, but this can be cleared up by seeing one. Have you seen one?”

Kitty shook her head, “Nyet, we are too far from doctors to see one. I just have to suffer.”

Jim was outraged. This didn’t happen in the 22nd century, and he wasn’t going to stand for it. This of course resulted in a fight as they screamed at each other in two different languages. She was just as intelligent as he, studying astrophysics at the local university, and she wouldn’t let his brilliance intimidate her. He wouldn’t let her walk all over him. Finally, the Chekov’s managed to get them separated. “Jim, leave the girl alone or you’ll wind up in the hospital before we send you home.”

Jim sullenly accepted their verdict, and instead of helping her, he started teasing her. Her skin was too pale, her legs were too long, she was short, the usual kind of heckling that teenage boys give to teenage girls. She finally ignored him.

The day he left for the USA, he snuck in a kiss. Mostly as a joke, to see how she would react. Her reaction was actually what he expected, she slapped him and ran away. Alex shook his head at his friend, “What were you thinking, my friend?”

Jim sighed, “I think I’m in love.”


	15. Expected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We join Bones, again, and his relationships with women, specifically, Jocelyn, you know, Jo’s mom. We’ll be getting to Sulu and his wife and daughter as well, if not in this chapter, the next. Don’t own them.

“Leonard!” Eleanor called from downstairs. “It’s time! Are you ready?”

“Yes, Ma!” Leonard called back. She looked up the stairs to see him descending the stairs in a sky blue tuxedo, a corsage in hand. Eleanor smiled, her husband, David, behind her.

“Oh, wow, you look so handsome, Leo,” Eleanor commented. She walked over and tugged at the bow tie to a straighter position.

“Don’t embarrass the boy, Ellie, it’s his prom. He’s not getting married,” David said gruffly. The look Eleanor shot her husband caused Leonard to chuckle. “Now, you have money. Don’t stay out too late, but, if you need to, you can avail yourself of our suite at the Omni Hotel downtown.” Eleanor did not “see” her husband slip her son a strip of condoms. “We’ll see you in the morning.”

“Wait!” Eleanor called whipping out her holo-camera. She snapped pictures of her embarrassed son. They followed him next door to pick up his date, Jocelyn Darnell. Jocelyn wore a sky blue, spaghetti strapped, figure hugging dress and she looked stunning with her hair in dark, elaborate curls and pinned around her head. Both the Darnells and the McCoys whipped out cameras to take pictures as Leo slipped the corsage onto her wrist. He then put his arm around her shoulders and smiled. Finally, they got away.

“It’s about time,” Joce said, laughing, as the limo pulled up in between the two houses. The driver smiled and opened the door for both of them. Joce slipped into the back beside Leo and relaxed into his arms, allowing him to kiss her. They’d known each other all their lives, and she’d been somewhat taken aback when Len had changed seemingly overnight, but, as it didn’t affect her social life, it didn’t bother her, much. “Do you think we’ll get it?” Joce asked, referring to Prom King and Queen.

“I’d be surprised if we didn’t, you were Homecoming Queen,” Len replied.

“And you were King,” she said with a laugh. They arrived at the hotel and the limo driver handed them out. Giving them his comm when they were ready to leave. Joce put her hand on his arm and smiled as they entered the hotel. They waited in line with everyone else for the pictures. It was a long wait, but it was worth it as they finally stood in front of a Georgia peach screen and took their picture.

Leonard sighed as he watched her go from the table they had selected to her girlfriends. They gave the boys coy glances as they surrounded Len and talked. Mostly about what they were going to do after graduation. Leonard really didn’t know. He was considering going to law school and following in his father’s and uncle’s footsteps. He was young, he had a lot of time to consider what he was going to do next.

“Alright, everyone, let’s settle down,” called the emcee. “Everyone eaten?” There was a general cheer throughout the room. “Okay, let’s start dancing. We’re still counting the ballots, and we’ll let you know who you chose as Prom King and Queen later tonight.” Everyone cheered as the music started and Len led Jocelyn onto the dance floor.

They both laughed and danced as Jocelyn appeared to be the belle of the ball. Her best friend, Nikkie, gave both of them knowing winks. “Attention everyone!” the emcee finally called. “We have the results. Congratulations to the Prom King: Leonard McCoy.” He smiled and waved as he mounted the stage and accepted the crown, sash, and scepter. “And his Queen is: Jocelyn Darnell!” She graced the stage with a big smile as the tiara graced her carefully prepared hair. “Alright, you two, lead your classmates through the arch and share your dance as King and Queen.”

They were followed by the class officers and their dates and the rest of their class. This was one of many highlights in the months and years to come. They graduated a month later and Jocelyn went to a local college to study nursing. Leonard found himself studying law at Ole’ Miss. He, as expected, sailed through the courses and graduated with a law degree. He even passed the bar and went to work for the family firm. Jocelyn got her nursing license and returned home as well. With mounting pressure from both of their families, they resumed dating. They followed the normal course of life as they decided to give in to their parents’ pressures and they got married.

Two years after they married, things were not so good. Jocelyn had gotten pregnant twice, and miscarried twice. She was pregnant again and they both hoped that the third time was the charm. At the end of that year, Leonard’s father, David, was diagnosed with a fatal disease, he became a father, and he found himself descending into the hell that was alcoholism and the loss of control over everything that was happening in his life.


	16. Grandpa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just in a Tiberius type of mood this week. What better setting than where Tiberius and Frank get along? Don’t own them.

Spring Break was a slow time for Jim. He went home to visit the farm, and catch up with his favorite horse, Pumpernickel. It was a little sad, too. Sam had left for Deneva, and no one really knew if and when he would return for a visit. Gloria and Frank, however, were there with a warm welcome. They picked him up at the shuttle port and on the long drive home Gloria pounced, “So, spill!”

Jim looked at her confused, “About what?”

“Kitty! Who else?” Gloria told him.

Frank laughed as Jim heaved a dramatic sigh. He told her about his first meeting with the gangly girl, and his missteps, “She hits like a boy! Then again, she has five brothers.”

Gloria laughed, “Can’t charm them all, Jim.”

“What about you?” Jim asked. “What’s happened since we last saw each other?”

“Captain Pike was by after the new year,” Gloria said somberly. “He found my paternal grandparents, alive, here on Earth.”

“Where?” Jim asked.

“Edinburgh, Scotland,” Gloria said. “They thought their son and his family had been wiped out on Tarsus IV, and had been grieving the entire time.”

“What happened?” Jim asked gently.

“We expect them sometime in June,” Frank responded from the front seat. “They’ve kept up a correspondence with Gloria, and say they’re too old to take care of Gloria. They’re content to let her stay in Iowa.”

“I’m glad your family isn’t completely gone, Gloria,” Jim said. Gloria just nodded. They spent the rest of the trip looking out the window at the scenery passing by. No sooner had they reached home and Jim had unpacked, than he was at the kitchen table doing his homework. Frank smiled as he set out a plate of cookies and two cups of milk. Jim absently reached for both as Gloria joined him at the table. Jim was studying Organic Chemistry, while Gloria was elbow deep in Federation History. Frank chuckled as he watched them switch books an hour after they started.

The doorbell rang and Frank went to answer it. Jim and Gloria were startled out of their research as Frank bellowed, “Gloria! Jimmy! Grandpa is here!”

Grandpa meant only one person in both of their minds, Tiberius, Jim’s father’s father. When Frank had come home with Gloria as well, Tiberius had adopted her, and spoiled her, “Always wanted a granddaughter,” he’d told her. “George and Winona weren’t so accommodating. Who knew Frank would be?”

Tiberius was a big man, years of working on a farm had left him without an ounce of fat. He walked with a cane and always was seen wearing overalls and a t-shirt. His foot wear, however, was always stylish. He liked buying the latest trends in tennis shoes. Like his son and grandsons, he was blonde haired, blue eyed, and fair skinned. He also wore a big floppy hat, to protect his skin from the sun, he would always say.

Tiberius let out a big hearty laugh as both teenagers came running in like they were five year olds. They hugged him, and Jim was startled to find that he was almost as tall as Tiberius. “Grandpa T,” as they had nicknamed him, smiled at their enthusiasm, “Lookin’ good, Jimmy, you too Gloria.”

Frank sat back in his favorite chair and let the warm family atmosphere wash over him. Tiberius was proud of both his grandsons, and his unhesitating behavior in welcoming Gloria into the family was just a part of who he was. He brought gifts, naturally. He gave Jimmy a new PADD, and on it, was a picture of the newest foal on the family farm. Jimmy looked at his Grandpa questioningly, “Pumpernickel is getting on up there in years, Jim. It won’t be long before he’ll have to retire. This little filly is his granddaughter, who better to give her to than you?” Jim threw his arms around Tiberius, Frank knew that Jim would be out at the Kirk farm no later than tomorrow to make the filly’s acquaintance.

“What about me, Grandpa T?” Gloria asked.

“You, I have something very special for you,” he rose and led them out to the front porch. There stood a bicycle, swathed in the colors of purple and rose, just like the one Gloria had lost on Tarsus IV.

“Is this really for me?” Gloria asked.

Tiberius smiled and nodded. The three men watched as Gloria climbed on and set off down the dirt driveway heading for the street. She never got that far, she turned around and headed back up whooping and hollering with the sun and the enormous tree with a tire swing as a backdrop. It was a good day in Iowa.

 


	17. Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deneva will always be close to my heart. Trouble shows up while Jim is home for Spring Break. Frank and T are having none of it. Don’t own them.

The doorbell rang. Gloria and Jim looked up at each other as Frank rose to answer the door. Both children were eating lunch and were hoping Gary Mitchell, a boy who lived on a nearby farm, would come to play. He was more interesting than some of the other children in the area. He easily kept up with both the mental and physical gymnastics Gloria and Jim were capable of, yet played the “dumb jock” around everyone else.

“Yes, Officer, may I help you?” they heard Frank ask.

“I’m here to give you a head’s up, Frank. She’s been sighted back in Riverside,” the officer told him.

“I see,” Frank responded. “Who else knows?”

“I’m on my way to Tiberius’ from here. Frank, I know you love that boy. I just thought it fair that you should know. What’s the status of the restraining order?” he asked.

“I’ll double check. She doesn’t have custody, Allen. It doesn’t matter anyway. If she hadn’t been such a bitch, Jim wouldn’t have ended up on Tarsus IV. There’s only one thing that I’d regret not having from that period in our lives,” Frank said.

“Gloria,” Allen replied.

“Yeah, Gloria, I love having a little girl,” Frank replied. Jim looked at Gloria, she looked like she was about to cry. “Thanks, Allen. I’ll invite T over for the night. Maybe we can convince Adria to let Gary spend the night.”

“Want me to pass the invite on to T?” Allen asked.

“I’d appreciate it. Tell him to bring Davis,” Frank told him. Jim inhaled. Whoever it was it was serious. Davis was the nickname T had given his shotgun. Frank thanked the officer and closed the door behind him. He walked back into the kitchen. “You heard that conversation?” he asked. Jim and Gloria both nodded. “I’m calling Adria,” he muttered as he walked to the comm unit.

“It’s Winona,” Gloria said gloomily.

Jim nodded. “Has she shown up here often?” he asked.

“She’s tried,” Gloria responded. “She won’t believe you’re in college to become a Doctor.”

“Maybe I should talk to her,” Jim said, slipping out of the chair and heading for the front door. He went out and went to the fence to look at the livestock. One of the cows, a brown and white cow with a sweet disposition and a calf at her side ambled over. She butted Jim’s hand while her calf tried chewing on Jim’s trousers. Jim laughed as he moved his pants out of the calf’s reach and patted the cow’s forehead. These were milk cows. They had beef cows in another pasture, but he wouldn’t dare approach them like this.

Jim left and wandered over to the horse paddock. He enjoyed watching the young foals scamper around the paddock. Their long and spindly legs that they hadn’t quite figured out yet often had them running backwards. One of them, a filly Jim had named Star, came to an abrupt halt in front of him. Her nostrils flared as she looked at the young human in front of her. She wandered over and sniffed at him. “Hey, Star,” he said. She butted at him before taking off for her mother. She was hungry.

Jim heard laughter behind him. He turned to see both Gary and T standing behind him. He smiled at both of them before turning back to the horses. Gary wandered over, “Hey, Jim, Mom said I can spend the night,” Gary told him. Jim smiled back, noting Davis slung over T’s shoulder. Jim turned back to the house and the boardgames that would commence.

Gloria, Jim, and Gary had settled down in front of the fire when she finally came. “I know he’s here, Frank. I have a right to see him!” she demanded.

Jim stirred from his comfortable position next to Gloria. “No, you don’t, Winona. You gave up that right when you broke his arm!” Frank hissed back.

“YOU ABANDONED HIM! FIRST TO TARSIS IV AND NOW TO SCHOOL!” she sobbed.

“If you weren’t a woman, Winona,” Frank told her. “Jim is doing well in college. He’s studying to become a doctor and an engineer. Can’t you just leave well enough alone.”

“But he’s just a baby…” she sobbed.

“No, Winona, I’m not a baby. I stopped being a baby when I left Earth,” Jim told her. “I’m in college because I want to help people. I saw so much pain and suffering on Tarsus IV. I will not abandon my calling.” Jim’s words were kindly and softly delivered. The adults watched as he turned back around and went back to join his friends.

Winona left quietly, unable to comprehend the change wrought in her son since she’d abandoned them. Tiberius and Frank went back into the den, hoping that this was the last they’d see of her until she’d turned her life around.

 


End file.
